1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to air filtering systems and, more particularly, to air filtering systems for filtering all of the air entering a particular room of a building having a central air conditioning system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many people suffer from allergies due to various dusts, pollen, molds, and other common allergy producing substances which are carried in air at various times of the year in various parts of the country. Such allergy causing particles are believed to settle in and become lodged in a person's sinus and nasal passages while the person sleeps at night to much greater extent than such particles become lodged in the sinus passages at any other time. The most severe allergic reactions a person has are therefore believed to be caused by allergy causing particles which are suspended in the air in the room in which the person sleeps. The allergic reactions frequently cause irritation and swelling of the sinus membranes, often making breathing more difficult and causing large amounts of sinus drainage. The irritated membranes and sinus tissue which result from the allergic reaction are believed to frequently cause the person to become more susceptible to other diseases, such as common colds, and frequently tend to aggravate other conditions, with overall detrimental effects on the person's health. Although expensive air filtering systems have been utilized to provide air having a high degree of purity in certain environments, such as in operating rooms and hospitals and in certain industrial manufacturing areas in which extremely pure air is required, such air filtering systems are excessively expensive and are not suitable or feasible for use in an average family residence. One such air purification system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,150,584 and another is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,265. Both of the systems disclosed in the above-mentioned patents are unduly expensive to be suitable for use in an average residence. Thus, there is an unmet need for an inexpensive air filtering system which is capable of being utilized in a typical residence having a central air conditioning system to provide pure air sleeping environments for persons having allergic reactions to particles carried by unfiltered air.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a low cost air filtering system and method for providing filtered air flow into a particular room of a typical residence having a conventional central air conditioning system.
It is another object of the invention to provide a low noise, low cost air filtering system and method for providing a flow of filtered air into a particular room of a building having a central air conditioning system.
It is another object of the invention to provide a low cost filtering and method which utilizes a replaceable low cost filter system.
Most central air conditioning have cooling or heating elements therein and also a blower system which is periodically turned on and off as the temperature within the residence increases above and falls below a preset desired temperature in order to maintain an average temperature equal to a preset temperature. Most such conventional air conditioning systems have a simple filter located at an air intake of the main duct of the air conditioning system. Such filters are replaceable and inexpensive, but do not adequately remove enough of the above-mentioned allergy producing particles carried by the air to alleviate the allergic reaction suffered by persons having severe allergy problems as they sleep in the bedrooms of their residences. Further, even if an expensive air filtering system of the various types which are commercially available is utilized in the allergic person's bedroom, when the air conditioning system turns "on"; a large quantity of air carrying allergy particles is blown into the person's bedroom.
Accordingly, it is another object of the invention to provide an inexpensive air filter system for filtering all air which enters a particular room of a building and for preventing unfiltered air from entering that room, regardless of whether the central air conditioning system of the building is operating.
Some commercially available air filtering systems are only capable of filtering the air in a particular room, such as a bedroom, of a house. Such filtering systems simply continuously recirculate and refilter the air in a particular room of the house, thereby providing reasonably pure air in that room. However, they do not significantly reduce the level of air pollutants in other portions of the building or house. Consequently, every time a door of the room in which such a filtering system is utilized is opened, a large quantity of polluted air enters the room.
Accordingly, it is another object of the invention to provide a low cost filtering system and method which effectively reduces the concentration of pollutants in air throughout a building in addition to providing highly purified air in a particular room of the building.
Other U.S. patents which disclose various prior air filtering systems includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,825,500; 3,139,020; 3,163,100; 3,165,625; 3,259,178; and 3,263,743. None of the air filtering systems disclosed in the immediately foregoing references disclose any system which is capable of being incorporated into or operating in conjunction with a typical central air conditioning system in a residence to accomplish the objective of inexpensively filtering substantially all air entering into a particular room of the residence, regardless of whether the central air conditioning system is operating, to prevent air carrying allergy causing particles from entering into the room through doors or windows of the room.
A variety of conventional smoke alarm systems are widely available. However, such smoke alarm systems have a shortcoming that no matter where they are located in a particular residence, they are located a long distance from certain points of the residence. Smoke being generated in locations of the residence distant from the smoke alarm devices may require a long time to reach the smoke alarm device, especially if the air circulation system is inoperative, allowing the fire causing the smoke to spread.
Accordingly, it is another object of the invention to provide a smoke alarm system for use in conjunction with an air filtering system for more rapidly indicating presence of smoke anywhere in a building than prior smoke alarm systems.